# How would the religious right react to a miraculously-powerful humanist? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 7, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-religious-right-react-to-a-miraculously-powerful-humanist/448466 "2008-05-07T19:29:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-religious-right-react-to-a-miraculously-powerful-humanist/448466/21 "2008-05-08T15:28:18Z")
[QUOTE=Shodan] Plus, she cannot or will not give any explanation for the basis of her powers. The explanation given seems awfully weak to me. If she is genuinely benevolent, as mentioned in the OP, why doesn’t she want to aid scientific research? [/QUOTE] You might ask the same question of g/God. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-religious-right-react-to-a-miraculously-powerful-humanist/448466/22 "2008-05-08T15:38:55Z")
**Skald the Rhymer** , have you read “Stranger in a Strange Land”? It hits upon some ideas that might help you grok. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-religious-right-react-to-a-miraculously-powerful-humanist/448466/23 "2008-05-08T15:51:56Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] Well, imagine it was me. I’m reasonably benevolent (when I’m not being Fabulous Creature, who as we all know would have destroyed France five minutes after mastering these powers.) In that situation, I’d be willing to help solve the global energy crisis or slow climate change. But I wouldn’t let anyone do any experiments on me, because I’ve read history books and I’d think, “Tuskegee.” [/QUOTE] Again, that seems a little odd. You won’t assist in finding out the basis for your powers because you are afraid people will deny you penicillin? If you are talking about a [Firestarter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firestarter) scenario, don’t you think it might be a little more difficult to kidnap a famous miracle-worker than some unknown black folks sixty years ago? If they are going to do that (and your magic powers can’t prevent it), they will do it with or without your consent. Why not take the Randi challenge? I rather expect you would be pretty safe in his hands. Or make it a condition that all the experiments have to be done on live TV. I can’t imagine a Fox executive who would not sell his mother to a white slave whorehouse for a reality show like that. It would be bigger ratings than the Super Bowl. And the government whisking you off to Area 51 for an alien autopsy would be like kidnapping the starting quarterback before the first kick off, and expecting everyone to just drop the subject. > [@Really Not All That Bright](#): > > You might ask the same question of g/God. Well, sure you could, and people have spent centuries arguing over the answer, but this woman has (AFAICT) specifically disclaimed being God or close to it. And with her, you can ask follow-up questions. It would seem to me that simple curiosity would impel someone to try to find out why they suddenly developed magic powers. Maybe I am more curious than other people, but I doubt it. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-religious-right-react-to-a-miraculously-powerful-humanist/448466/24 "2008-05-08T16:19:07Z")
[QUOTE=Shodan] It would seem to me that simple curiosity would impel someone to try to find out why they suddenly developed magic powers. Maybe I am more curious than other people, but I doubt it. Regards, Shodan [/QUOTE] Can’t argue with that. I’d certainly want to know, if it was me, if for no other reason then to make sure I didn’t cancel my powers by visiting a planet with a red sun or something. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-religious-right-react-to-a-miraculously-powerful-humanist/448466/25 "2008-05-09T15:05:14Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] **Skald the Rhymer** , have you read “Stranger in a Strange Land”? It hits upon some ideas that might help you grok. [/QUOTE] Many times, though I no longer own a copy. I gave my hardback copy away to my best friend when she moved away, so that, whenever I missed it, I’d think of her. ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-religious-right-react-to-a-miraculously-powerful-humanist/448466/26 "2008-05-09T15:24:41Z")
Could she be … [Church Lady pucker] SATAN!?!?!? ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-religious-right-react-to-a-miraculously-powerful-humanist/448466/27 "2008-05-09T15:39:18Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] There sort of was a case like this. [/QUOTE] [Haile Selassie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie) might also be instructive. Members of the Rastafari religion claimed that he was Christ incarnate and could perform miracles. He never publicly refuted the claims, but never really embraced them and joined the movement either; he just kind of tolerated the fact that he was worshipped as a God in a religion that he didn’t share. Rastafarians attributed his refusal to unambiguously acknowledge his divinity to modesty or humility, and still believe that his death in the '70s was a hoax. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-religious-right-react-to-a-miraculously-powerful-humanist/448466/28 "2008-05-09T15:43:48Z")
I’d say that miraculous powers are evidence of some higher power. But a person could still choose to believe there’s an alternative explanation. So a person could witness miracles, or even be the one performing the miracles, and still not believe that God or Satan or Odin granted them those miracles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-religious-right-react-to-a-miraculously-powerful-humanist/448466.md?page=1)